Eclipse Tips

Starting Eclipse

When you unzip Eclipse, the directory layout looks something like this:

   eclipse/
      features/      ''the directory containing Eclipse features''
      plugins/      ''the directory containing Eclipse plugins''
      eclipse.exe    ''platform executable''
      eclipse.ini
      eclipsec.exe              ''(windows only) console executable''
      epl-v10.html    ''the EPL license''
       jre/      ''the JRE to run Eclipse with''
      notice.html  
      readme  

You can start Eclipse by running eclipse.exe. This small launcher essentially finds and loads the JVM. On Windows, the eclipsec.exe console executable can be used for improved command line behavior.

Find the JVM

If a JVM is installed in the eclipse/jre directory, Eclipse will use it; otherwise the launcher will consult the eclipse.ini file and the system path variable. Eclipse DOES NOT consult the JAVA_HOME environment variable. 

To explicitly specify a JVM of your choice, you can use the -vm command line argument:

   eclipse -vm c:\jre\bin\javaw.exe              ''start Java by executing the specified java executable
   eclipse -vm c:\jre\bin\client\jvm.dll         ''start Java by loading the jvm in the eclipse process

See the launcher page for more details on specifying a JVM.

eclipse.ini

The most recommended way to specify a JVM for Eclipse to run in is to put startup configuration into the eclipse.ini file in the same folder as the Eclipse executable (eclipse.exe on Windows). The Eclipse program launcher will read arguments from either the command-line or the configuration file named eclipse.ini. To specify a JVM using configuration file, include the -vm argument in eclipse.ini, for example:

-vm
c:/jre/bin/javaw.exe

Note: there are no quotes around this path as would be required when executing the same from the command-line were the path to contain white space, etc. This is a common mistake when using Windows.

Eclipse now will launch without additional arguments in the command-line, with the JVM specified in the eclipse.ini configuration file.

You should always use -vm so you can be sure of what VM you are using. Installers for other applications sometimes modify the system path variable, thus changing the VM used to launch Eclipse without your knowing about it.

The format of the eclipse.ini file is very particular; it is strongly recommended to read eclipse.ini and folow the examples there.

When Eclipse starts, you are prompted to choose a workspace location on start-up. This behavior can be configured in the Preferences. You can manually specify the workspace location on the command line, using the -data <workspace-path> command-line argument.